Death to Reality
by Undefined Inception
Summary: Neiyuki had always wanted to leave her snowy home in the mountain, and finally racks up the courage to do it. Upon her arrival to the 'down-world', or the ground as normal people call it, she finds that all isn't flowers and fantasy as she'd imagine...
1. Introduction

Death to Reality

An InuYasha Fanfiction

How I Age Demons:

10 Demon years = 5 Human Years

At the beginning of the story, most of the children are anywhere from 20-28 years of age (10-14 in human years)

During the main plot, they're about 17-22 human years.

The Mountain: In all reality, it's just a great white peak jutting out of the landscape. It has no name and is covered with thick snow year round. Avalanches are a constant worry, as well as finding food.

Burizashi: A small, secluded village on the northern slopes of the mountain. The air here is very thin and clouds cover whatever of the ground can be seen from there. The town is arranged with two houses on each side of a larger, central building, which is a place where the sick are tended to and where the elder, Ishiki, resides.

The Demon's Judgement: An ancient weapon forged by several different kinds of demon fire. When pointed at a demon disguised as a human, it causes their true form to show (such as eye color, longer finger/toe nails, pointed ears, overall animalistic qualities). It is also a trap for half of the wielder's soul. Stronger more intelligent demons are able to splice their soul into two pieces, the greater and lesser half. Depending on how the demon usually lives, these halves can switch names. Neiyuki's 'Greater' half would be her demon side, since it's often contained deep within her and is eager to take control of her body. Near the beginning half of the story, the young demoness consults the help of another demon who helps her extract the demonic part of her soul, and place it into the scythe.

The Demon's Judgement is a large scythe, approximately five feet and nine inches when the base of the staff is placed on a flat surface. The bottom has a small, spear-like attachment, made of a silver metal. The upper blade, if straight, would easily be over half the staff long. It is also made of a silver metal, and has intricate swirling carvings along the base where it is connected to the staff. A mid-sized half-circle indent is located near the staff, where a small circular flame burns. The flame burns red when the more demonic side of her soul is inside of it, and blue when the more humane part is.

Characters (non-canon):

Kestral: A very easy going woman, she has fair skin and straight black hair that goes down the the center of her back. She has deep blue eyes and is roughly five feet, six inches. Married to Aisu and mother of Neiyuki.

-After time skip Kestral-: Her age is finally starting to catch up to her, as her eyes become darker and small lines start appearing on her face. She's beginning to look more cat-like and is starting to loose her sight.

Aisu: Serious natured, very quiet and shy. He typically doesn't speak unless he has something very important to say; would die for Kestral. He's often disappointed by his daughters playful antics and lack of seriousness in Ishiki's stories. Aisu is very tall, just over six feet, four inches in height. He has dirty blonde hair that usually appears to be in a mess, though most would say it's so 'dirty' that it's gray. Aisu has striking lavender eyes and is one of the searchman for the village (looking for bodies in the snow that need burying, or trying to find surviving humans in need of aid.) He is married to Kestrel and father to Neiyuki.

Ishiki: Comes off as the crotchety, yet good humored elder of the village. He is the oldest member of the clan and has a light tan to his skin and short patches of white hair on his head. His face is covered with many little scars, as are his upper arms. His ears are distinctly more feline then the rest of the clan, being wider and having tufts of fur on the inside opposed to just the mild 'elf looking' point to them. His eyes are a bright pastel green, giving them an almost glowing look. He found Talon at the bottom of the mountain and takes care of her. Aisu often says his legends should be taken seriously…

Flight: Bobbery's mother. She's considered the most beautiful woman in the village. Her hair is pin straight and snow white, and her eyes are a clear ash brown. She's tall and slender. She used to be very sweet and loving, but became somewhat reclusive since her husband was killed.

Neiyuki: The middle aged child in the village. She is the daughter of Kestrel and Aisu. She has chocolate brown hair and clear blue eyes. She's usually the 'butt' of the children's jokes, mainly because Ishiki often gives her a lot of crap with his stories.

-After time skip Neiyuki-: She's nearly as tall as her mother now, and has the typical young adult independent streak. She has also became very uncaring about her companions, Bobbery and Talon. She's well built, roughly 5 feet 5 inches in heigh, and weighs about 145 pounds. Her hair is still long, but her bangs are now messy looking and usually hide her eyes. She always has the Demon's Judgement with her.

Bobbery: Oldest child in the village. He's very cocky, and fully believes that his father died in a heroic battle even though his body was found mottled and torn to shreds by human weapons. He has shaggy snow-white hair and burning amber eyes. He picks on K the most.

-After time skip Bobbery-: His hair is still short and white, but he's lost whatever vanity he had as a child. He also has lost most of his pride that he had in his appearance, since dark lines are constantly under his eyes and his hair seems to be a mess constantly. He's become a quiet and humble boy, devoting himself completely to protecting Kestrel, Talon and Neiyuki since he's the last male in the village.

Rotaka: The quiet boy who's as old as Bobbery. His parents were killed, but nobody knows how. Taro rarely laughs or smiles, but usually always has something to say. He has black hair and maroon eyes. Supposively committed suicide at the age of 15.

Talon: The orphan, and youngest girl. The villagers suspect she's from another village, as she was found being chased by humans at the base of the mountain. She seems fairly happy with her new home with Ishiki and enjoys his company. She's very pretty and has long sable hair and deep green eyes.

-After time skip Talon-: She's a broken girl, who always looks very sad. Ishiki's death was only the start of it, but soon after Bobbery's mother died as well. She feels like a bad omen, and blames herself for the misfortunes of the village since she was never really one of them.


	2. Chapter 1: Bittersweet

The first thing she could remember was snow. It snowed often in the region where she was born. She was entranced by it ever since she first saw the tiny white flakes falling from the dark winter sky.

"Kestrel, are you okay?" a worried voice sounded, as the woman known as 'Kestrel'

glanced feebly over at her sister.

"Yes, I'm alright Ji…could I see my baby?" Kestrel murmured, her eyelids fluttering tiredly. She'd been through quite the ordeal this morning, giving birth to her daughter and all. She still needed a name, her daughter.

"Of course Kestrel, I'll bring Aisu in with her." Ji said with a relieved sigh as she went off to fetch her sister's husband and child.

The Blizzard City was by no means a real city at all, in fact, most didn't even consider it a village. Few ventured this far north, and even fewer ventured back alive. Not from the inhabitants of this village, mind you, but from the sheer cold. The Blizzard City (called Burizashi by the locals) was nestled deep on the northern slopes of a mountain, far from human civilization. Humans could not survive these conditions for long, so the only race that called Burizashi home was a small clan of cat demons. They are a fairly kind and compassionate race, taking on the appearance of humans to offer sanctuary to those having difficulty traveling over the mountain. However, as stated before, most can't survive the journey…and those who do are too wary to take shelter in the presence of demons.

We now take you to Burizashi, approximately thirteen years since the birth of Kestrel and Aisu's daughter. She was given the name Neiyuki...

"All right children, if you can manage to sit still for a few measly moments I might be in the mood to tell you a story." Ishiki growled, a good-humored sparkle in the old man's eyes. His face was scarred from many wounds, and he was missing several teeth, but he still managed to attract the village children at his home to educate (as he called it) them about the past of Burizashi.

"Guys, siddown! I wanna listen to grandpa talk!" Bobbery demanded, his amber eyes smoldering with annoyance at the other three children, who were currently arguing over who the old man liked best.

"Oh stoppit Talon, nobody likes you!" Neiyuki whined, crossing her arms angrily at the dark haired girl who had just insulted her lack of front teeth. Loosing teeth was a natural part of growing up, but it didn't make the task any easier. Talon stuck her tongue out at the girl, before sitting down next to Bobbery and Rotaka. Talon soon took her place next to her, giving Neiyuki a sneer before leaning forward as Ishiki began to speak.

"Back when I was younger then you, there was a very religious man who lived in this village. He was a human, believe it or not, a monk at that!" Ishiki started, his eyes twinkling as he started his tale. "You see, he saw our kind as good natured demons, wanting no harm…and that is true, we try to keep peaceful relations with the humans…" he murmured, drifting off slightly.

"But what about when they kill one of us? THEN do we get to pummel them?" Bobbery burst out, looking very indignant.

Ishiki cast his harsh green gaze on the white haired boy, silencing him.

"Bobbery, we mustn't harm the humans…they're not as intelligent as us and…"

"That's not the real reason though at all, is it?" this time it was Rotaka who spoke, his maroon eyes fixed on the ground, "It's because if we taste their blood or flesh, we loose ourselves and kill everything in our path…" he whispered.

Ishiki stared at Rotaka, an unreadable expression on his face. "I think you've already heard this tale, Rotaka." The old man said coolly, his way of dismissing the young man. Without hesitation, Rotaka got up swiftly and turned around, heading back towards his home where nobody would be waiting for him.

Neiyuki watched him with a curious expression on her face. She'd never heard _that _before…

"In fact…I'm feeling tired and in need of a nap all of the sudden, Talon why don't you and Bobbery go and play out in the snow while the sun is out? Neiyuki, you go with

Them." Ishiki mused, his ears flattening as he yawned.

"I bet I can run faster in the snow then you, Talon!" Bobbery shouted, instantly racing outside.

"That's not fair, you're cheating!" she yelled after him.

Neiyuki, however, remained seated. She was lost in her thoughts for a moment before glancing up at Ishiki, who was eyeing her thoughtfully.

"You look troubled, young one…" he said tilting his head to the side slightly. He looked very interested about something with her…

"Well…is what Rotaka said true? I mean, that we can loose our minds." She stammered, meeting his gaze for a moment.

He blinked before letting out a sigh. "You're old enough to know the truth, and haven't had tragic pasts like the others…yes. It's true. It's also true that if we remain in this human stage for too long, our natural form will become restless and take over, which is why it's important to shift forms every now and then. But you already knew that, I'm sure." He said calmly, getting up and going to the back of his room where a large case was standing.

"No…I didn't know. Mom or dad didn't tell me this. What's in there?" Neiyuki replied, changing the subject. All this talk was making her a bit uneasy.

"Something your grandfather wanted you to have…and something I'll be glad to get rid of because I can't touch it." Ishiki rasped, turning his gaze to Neiyuki for a moment in a burning glare. He looked so upset all of the sudden…

In the case was a large black and silver weapon. The handle of the thing was long and black, presumably carved from a thick wood. A small silver spear was at the tip. The top of the weapon had a rather long, curved blade that was currently dazzling silver as well. A small half-circle hole was indented into the blade towards where it connected. Small ornate carvings were all along the part of the blade that met the wood as well.

"Well stop ogling at it and take it, it's been nothing but a dust collector and a bad memory to me." Ishiki snarled suddenly, sounding extremely disgruntled.

Neiyuki looked at him, bewildered at how twisted his face looked. She got up in a hurry and approached the weapon. Reluctantly, she reached out for it, not knowing what kind of sensation to expect, but the wood felt cool to her touch. It was much too big for her to carry, so as soon as the young girl tugged it out of the case it fell to the floor with a sharp clang.

"Get it out!" Ishiki demanded, pointing towards the door repeatedly. "Drag it out if you have to, just please take that fiendish tool away!"

Neiyuki's blue eyes were wide with fear as she stared at Ishiki. This man had been telling her stories and sharing good times with her for as long as she could remember, so why was he yelling at her to get this out? Where had it come from?

"Why did my grandfather give this to you?" She asked, voice quavering.

"He didn't. It drove him mad. He constantly spoke about how it would deal judgement to the humans and many other disturbing facts. It gave me these," Ishiki spat, ripping up his sleeves to reveal many long scares on his upper arms, "Your grandfather…was not an honorable man to me, Neiyuki. And that scythe was at the core of all of it. I had to literally _pry _it from his hands as he was dying, and when I finally did his last words were 'Where have I gone?'" he added bitterly, his eyes smoldering. "Now do an old man some dignity, and take it away."

Neiyuki nodded quickly, placing both hands around the handle and dragging it backwards towards her home, a strange warm feeling creeping up her arms as she dragged the weapon home.


	3. Chapter 2: Insight

"What is that." Was all Neiyuki's father said as he watched her approach the door. She disliked her father at times, for somehow knowing was she was up to.

"Ishiki gave it to me…h-he said it was grandfather's." she stammered, glancing behind her at the scythe lying in the snow.

"I think your mother needs to see this…" he murmured, going to reach the scythe and pick it up, only to draw his hand back in an action of pain.

Neiyuki glanced down at the weapon, casting it a look of pity. It was truly a very pretty instrument, but why did it hurt others to touch it? She put her hands further up the handle, still no burn. She eventually found herself touching the blade, shivering with delight at the touch of the cold metal. It had a certain feel about it, that made everything feel…strange.

"Neiyuki, where on earth…why do you have this?" Kestrel demanded, her normally caring features darkened with the seriousness of this situation.

"Ishiki." The girl responded to her mother, holding her questioning gaze.

"That man…I told him to get rid of this…" Kestrel growled, putting a hand on her head with dismay. Neiyuki couldn't help but notice both her mother, and father, had slightly longer nails then usual, and their ears were now looking more like Ishiki's.

"Mother…what does it do?" she inquired, looking down at her own hands and noticing no change.

"It reveals the true nature of things…" this time it was her father who growled. "No wonder why Ishiki always looks like such an animal…he'd been harboring this thing in house all this time…" he grumbled.

"It's called 'The Demon's Judgement' and nobody knows who made it or where it was made…" Kestrel muttered, looking utterly confused at the sight of the Demon's Judgement.

"So why can I touch it." Neiyuki murmured.

"I'll be damned if I know, Neiyuki…" her mother sighed, looking very tired all of the sudden. "Just…cover it up for the night and lets all get some rest, okay? There is definitely something wrong about how you can touch it and not feel pain…"

We now venture forward in time. Neiyuki's parents have been keeping an eye on her closely, and since then Ishiki has passed away leaving Talon an orphan once again. Bobbery and his mother are now caring for her. The village children are wary of Neiyuki and the Demon's Judgement, and try to avoid her as much as possible. Over the months, the progress of the village worsened. Rotaka had, apparently, committed suicide at the age of 15 human years, while Bobbery's mother was found dead a way similar to his father. Neiyuki's father was found close-by; a frozen traveler still hunched over his body with a knife jabbed into his spine. Kestrel assumes it was out of hunger, not hatred, that the traveling man killed Aisu. The houses are beginning to turn into runes, and food is scarcer to come by these days. The four remaining from the clan make the choice to venture down the mountain, or remain in the snow to waste away like the others.

"I'm leaving." Neiyuki snarled at her mother, her eyes blazing with a blue fire. Her mother let out a tired sigh before meeting her daughter's furious gaze with her own sad eyes.

"I…I can see I can't change your mind…" Kestrel sighed at last, shaking her head solemnly. She moved her eyes over to the fire, where Bobbery and Talon were laying close together, looking cold as they slept.

"…You'll all die if you stay here, you know that don't you?" Neiyuki muttered, worry spreading over her face for a moment.

"Yes…I know, Neiyuki. But we'll also die down there. We can't all have pretty little shiny toys to defend ourselves with." Her mother hissed coldly. Kestrel blamed the scythe's appearance all those years ago for the misfortunes.

"A chunk of metal has nothing to do with this, mother," Neiyuki mumbled, still looking upset. It was difficult, choosing to leave, but she had to live on. She refused to die in the snow, being found as a lump of frozen flesh like her father had so often described. "I'll try to find you, if you…if you choose to leave." The girl finished, looking down at the floor shamefully. Lives, demon or human, shouldn't be wasted like this.

"That's kind of you, Neiyuki…if I or these two don't survive to see you again, know that…that even though they've said things about you…it's not, n-not true. I love you, dear." Kestrel choked out, her deep blue eyes turning glassy with tears.

"I…love you too, mother." Neiyuki finished, her eyes starting to burn as well. The girl flashed her mother one last small smile of hope, however pointless it may have been, before turning around and racing out into the snow, the Demon's Judgement strapped to her back and her mind set on the world below.

She'd never been out of the snow…she was eager to see trees, er, real trees. Not the sticks that stuck up out of the snow in the mountains, barren of all foliage. And grass, and flowers and…

Humans.

Her eyes narrowed at the thought of them. Her family, even though all the signs pointed to the humans of their misfortunes, still blamed the Demon's Judgement for their mishaps. Surely one weapon couldn't cause so much misfortune, after all if it was cursed, then something should have happened to Neiyuki as well, right?

Neiyuki let out a sharp sigh as she slowed to a stop. A small spray of snow followed her, coloring her back white.

"…Greeaaaat…" she murmured, her expression darkening as she approached a lump in the snow before her. She was fairly sure what to expect, as she began cautiously dusting snow off of the heap. Her father had often said that bodies in the snow were usually covered by the time he found them, so they had to be uncovered and buried elsewhere, to not attract attention. After a good minute or so of brushing off clumps of white flakes, she saw…fur. Dark gray and flecked with marbled black stripes. A wildcat must have gotten caught in a small avalanche, or maybe it got lost in a blizzard…

Suddenly, a muffled growl sounded from the heap, and soon enough a large dark head popped out of the snow. It was certainly a cat alright, but as it climbed out of the snow Neiyuki noticed that it's feet were beginning to glow with a hellish green flame. It was a demon. The large cat shook itself wildly before turning to Neiyuki and dipping its head in an act of gratitude.

"Thank you for waking me, I was caught out in a storm two nights ago and had lost conciousness." The cat rasped, in a distinctly male voice.

"If you were caught in a storm two nights ago," Neiyuki challenged, "then you'd be dead. Especially without any cover."

"Perhaps," the cat replied coolly, "but I sensed a strong demonic presence and felt as though I was in danger, thus using my last ounce of strength in an act of defense. Any demon would have done the same." He murmured, green gaze moving to the scythe on her back.

"What is that, you've got there?" he inquired, taking a small step forward.

"Nothing. Just a scythe for harvesting, meant to be brought to the humans for a trade." She murmured, trying her best to hold the demon's gaze. He knew something about the Demon's Judgement, about her, she thought.

"Hm. Well, I wish you good fortune on your…_trade_ then, those humans don't usually ask the help of a demon you know." The cat said finally, his eyes narrowing slightly as he turned to walk away.

Neiyuki bit her lip as she stared after the demon, watching him pad away as if being potentially brought back to life meant nothing at all. If he really did know something about the Demon's Judgement…

"Wait! It's not…it's not for the humans, its mine." She burst out, taking it off her back. She had to know more about this, and if for some reason this cat could give her answers, it would be well worth asking.

A deep rumble of a purr sounded from the cat demon as he glanced behind him at Neiyuki. "It's the judgement scythe, isn't it?" he chimed smugly, padding back towards her. The cat watched, entranced, as Neiyuki removed the black cover from the blade of the scythe. Somehow the metal still managed to shine even on a clouded day like this.

"Do you have any idea as to what you possess, girl?" he rasped, eyeing the weapon from its blade down to the spear at the tip.

"My mother said it reveals the true nature of things…" she murmured, recalling how both her parents had slowly begun changing forms as soon as they saw the weapon.

"Yes. That is right, but there's more to this," he started, "it was made as a…a holding container, for a soul."

"A soul? What could you possibly mean by that?" she replied, utterly baffled.

"A demon's soul, silly child." He purred. "I should rephrase what I said, it's meant to split a soul in two. Stronger and more intelligent demons have the ability to splice their soul; the 'good' half from the 'bad', or vice-versa if they choose."

"So what you're saying…is if, say that you're telling the truth, a demon could place his or her natural state into the blade…or their, er, human state? So they wouldn't have to worry about changing under extreme emotions or…things like that?" she asked, confused. There was no possible way this demon could be telling the truth.

"Essentially, yes, you're right. If the darker side is placed within the blade, a red flame will burn in this little indent," the demon said, dipping his head down at the half-circle dip in the weapon, "if the human, or 'good' side, is trapped in the weapon it will glow blue. However, if the half trapped in the weapon is not able to control an actual body for a period of time, they will eventually become lost within it and the other half that's controlling the body will become unstable."

"How…how do you know all of this…I mean, you're not of my village as of my knowledge." Neikyuki stammered, glancing warily up at the cat.

"Oh no, I'm not from Burizashi if that's what you're thinking, I'm merely a drifter in these parts, trying to survive," he started, "I know about it, because it was my brother who came up with the concept of it. He just needed a very skilled and powerful demonic blacksmith to create it, and so whom did he consult? None other then Rei from Burizashi."

"The few of my kind that still live around these parts, we do not believe in changing for mere…humans. You have probably witnessed first hand how they treat you, even if you DO appear as one of their own. Since we refuse to change, we asked the help of Rei; the former village elder, to craft it for us. I assume he had help, since it took nearly a year for it to become complete." He finished, twin tails swishing in the snow.

"So how, how did somebody in Burizashi come to possess it again? And if you don't mind me asking, how could a cat possibly wield a scythe…?" Neiyuki mused, a slight tinge of amusement towards the end of her sentence. The image of a cat like this one trying to master a scythe was strangely humorous in her mind.

The cat, however, found nothing funny about it. "He wanted it to rid of his potential human side, but as I said, demons loose themselves within it. I do not blame Rei for what happened to my brother, but I wish he could have predicted it beforehand…my brother was like a father to me, we were closer then most siblings." He finished, a look of deep regret in his eyes.

Something about the way this demon spoke to her told Neiyuki that he didn't want the scythe for himself, nor did he seem to possess any ambition to destroy it. In fact, he seemed moderately surprised by it, as an elderly person does when they find an old belonging of theirs. The item can be as plain as an old ring, but can bring back the most bittersweet of memories.

"I'm sorry to hear that. To be honest, I never thought that this thing was even capable of such things…the soul splitting, I mean. I always thought it would just give the wielder an insight as to what they were dealing with in an opponent." She admitted, placing the cover back over the scythe's blade.

"Just be careful. Oh and one more thing," the demon said, suddenly seeming in a hurry, "I believe some soldiers are returning from the mountain and will be headed this way shortly, so I suggest you get a go on. Don't want to end up like your dad…" the cat finished, a twinkle in his eyes as he bounded off into the snow, leaving Neiyuki standing with a mystified expression.


	4. Chapter 3: Foreigner

Nearly three days after Neiyuki had encountered the demon in the snow, the girl was finally starting to notice a shift in the landscape. Bare patches of earth were showing more frequently, and she could see the land below. Though it looked like another day of traveling to reach the bottom, the view was spectacular from where she stood. Directly to the south, another singular peak stood, though notably shorter then the mountain she'd grown up on. A large shining lake stood before the southern mountain, though from here it looked nothing more then a puddle. Thick forests grew about the land, along with the occasional town that dotted the landscape. It was hard to believe that there was an entirely different world, down here. The demoness inhaled deeply before practically leaping down the mountain with excitement. What did dirt feel like in between someone's toes? What kind of food did the downworlders eat? There were so many things she wanted to know!

How foolish, she thought, acting like a child again. Of course it was natural since this place was so different from what she knew, but Neiyuki had certainly heard her fair share of stories from Ishiki and any other older bodied being back home. A pang of dismay struck the girl's heart as she thought of all she'd lost through the course of her life. It just didn't seem fair, after all, they were only trying to provide care for the humans! Her father devoted his life to try and save those who needed help through the snow, why once he even carried an old man down the other side of the mountain…unwillingly, as usual, but it was still quite a feat that neither of them died.

The sun was high in the sky by the time Neiyuki reached the bottom of the mountain. Her feet ached from her boots, not to mention her hooded cloak and thick apparel underneath were only making her sweat in this downworld heat.. Thankfully, the place she'd descended to was not on a main human path, all though the air around her was thick with their scent. It was safe to assume nobody had been through here any time recently, so Neiyuki decided to take a moment and get rid of some of her belongings. The boots, though special to her, would prove to be only a burden if she wore them as she traveled. She popped them off her tired feet, and for the first time in her life rested them down on the cool, dusty earth below. The dirt covered ground sent a surprised tingle up her spine. It reminded her the first time she touched the snow as a child, simply wonderous. The second matter of business was to take off a few layers of clothing, namely her thick gray cloak. She threw it off to the side by her boots, before stripping off the two excessive layers of robes she'd been wearing. Bringing all of this clothing seemed suddenly pointless. Now, the demoness stood with a single charcoal robe on, tied at the waist with a make-shift ribbon made from her cloak. Her mother would be proud, she thought, to see her daughter using what she had to make new things.

Using the remainder of her cloak, Neiyuki fashioned a shabby looking sack to place the two extra layers of robes, and her boots. She swung the bag over her shoulder, using the last sleeve as a strap. The Demon's Judgment fit nicely underneath the bag as she swung it back over her shoulder.

"Neat…" Neiyuki breathed, looking around with wonder at the brilliant green hues of the trees and foliage around her. The young demon couldn't help but gasp with delight at the sight of several small yellow flowers growing near a tree. They were absolutely stunning! She knelt down next to them, picking one and putting it directly under her nose, her eyelids fluttering at the aroma they produced. Why hadn't anybody told her the world down here was so…beautiful? Neiyuki tucked the flower into a fold in her robe, hoping she'd see more of them as she explored further. Perhaps I should start on the trail, she thought at first. It would be a quicker way to get around on a road that had already then established, opposed to trekking through the wilderness…however it would also put her in danger, and she certainly didn't want the humans to start making a fuss about her appearance. Her teenage mind soon won out however, and she chose to take the road. Hopefully if she tried to look casual, nobody would suspect her. After all, there had to be other demons around these parts too, right?

Wrong.

Almost as soon as she started her journey on the road, she had to pass a family of travelers, and two traders. All of whom who cast extremely fearful glances her way. Having a demonic aura was one thing, but she didn't even LOOK demonic right now! Her father, Bobbery and Rotaka all had eyes that would instantly say 'Look at me, I'm demonic in nature!' but not Neiyuki. No, her eyes and hair were not some uncommon color, so either she looked like quite the ruffian from a four day mountain hike, or her demonic aura was just, well, noticeable. Or maybe both…humans were so hard to read.

Neiyuki stopped abruptly in her tracks, face crinkling in disgust as the acrid tang of smoke caught in her throat and nose. Somebody was either burning a very large amount of their dead…or a village had just been laid waste to. Without a second thought, her hands reached instinctively for the Demon's Judgement, unsheathing it from it's covering and watching with satisfied blue eyes as the dapples of sunlight from above caught on the blade. Neiyuki ran her index finger from the tip of the blade down the the handle. Her expression darkened as she made her way hastily towards the scent of fire and ashes. It was always war and slaughter with the humans, even with their own kind. Perhaps all they needed was a _reminder_, as to who the stronger force was…


	5. Chapter 4: Threat

"Renkotsu, are you quite finished burning everything yet? It's not fun at all when nobody is _alive _anymore…" a high-toned voice whined to a tall figure, who was watching with a cool gaze as the small village's houses crackled and snapped under the heat of his flames.

"Yes, everything is finished, Jakotsu." The tall man, Renkotsu, replied. His blue clothing was stained with soot and his armor was cracked slightly near the chest, where a village woman tried to strike him with a cutting knife. Unfortunately for her and her children, they were not dealing with mere looters.

"Well that's great, too bad there was nothing to get out of this ordeal though…shall we try another village?" Jakotsu offered, the retractable snake-like blades from his sword whizzing back into a solid, singular form. "Sorry, there was a kid trying to get up and run…don't look at me like that, he probably inhaled to much smoke from the fire and was going to die anyway!"

Renkotsu shut his eyes for a moment before shaking his head. "No, we should report back to Big Brother first, he'll want to know that our little bout of destruction was…pointless." Said Renkotsu at last, venturing back towards the southern end of the village, where he and Jakotsu had emerged from merely half and hour earlier.

Jakotsu let out a sigh before reluctantly following him. "You're probably right…I just hope the next town won't be as much of a drag as _this _place_._"

By the time Neiyuki had reached the source of the burning, there was nobody living. Smoldering wooden ruins of houses and buildings stood before her, along with the remains of the villagers who were now nothing more then cinders and charred bones, blackened by ash and the fire's smoke.

"Oh goodness, who could have done this…" she mused, standing up with a blackened skull in her hand, presumably from a child judging by it's size. Bones didn't strike her as frightening, it was more of the well preserved and still bloody corpses her father often found that disturbed her. This was the polar opposite of what her father ever found though…thankfully, the scene didn't strike her as disturbing.

"There it is, a demon! It must have laid waste to this village!" a man's voice shouted.

Neiyuki dropped the skull in shock as her head whipped towards the direction she'd previously came from. A small group of humans riding their horses were approaching the village. They looked to be soldiers. Did that man just call her…an _it?_

"I was under the impression that this was the work of the Band of Seven, but clearly our culprit is standing before us…" another voice said, cracked with age. The man who'd spoken second dismounted his steed and strode up to the remains of the village, reaching down and taking a handful of ash only to watch it disappear through his fingertips like sand.

"Sir," Neiyuki started, "please I beg of you, this was not my doing, I herald from a place in the snow I know-"

"Silence, demon!" the man yelled at her, his face twisted with rage. "My daughter and her husband lived here…and you murdered them, and for what I might ask? A bit of afternoon _fun?_" he snarled incredulously, eyes burning with a fury that could only be fueled by great loss.

"This," Neiyuki gestured with a sweep of her hand, "was NOT me. I scented smoke in the air and came to investigate, however like YOU, I was too late. Believe what you will, but I had nothing to do with the death of these meager humans…" she sneered, eyes narrowing. She did not like this man, and she did not like being falsely accused either. Especially of being a murderer. She snorted contemptuously at the general and his small battalion before whipping around and starting to stalk off.

" Oh no you don't you demon wench, men: fire!" the raspy voice of the general sounded, as Neiyuki heard the distinct motion of more men dismounting and readying metal objects.

It was a timespan that couldn't have been more then a second from the moment she'd heard the click when Neiyuki jumped high, looking down as several blindingly fast objects darted through the air where she'd just been standing. She felt her teeth sharpening and fingernails lengthening at the general's hate towards her. She had done nothing wrong! She swung the Demon's Judgment high above her head, bringing it down with a crash on the ground before the general. Several small blue and red sparks flew up from where it had struck, causing a few of the general's men to gasp in shock.

"General Tai, she possesses a demonic weapon!" one man shouted.

The general acted as though he never heard him though, since he withdrew his katana and started running towards Neiyuki in a clumsy gait, typical of an older human. She sidestepped away from him easily, swinging her scythe around with a single easy motion and cleanly cut the older man through the abdomen. He looked up at her, eyes wide with terror and disbelief now, as his pupils soon rolled back into his head and the two halves of his body collapsed to the ground.

Neiyuki looked down at the general, or rather general_s_ really, her face a mixture of horror and desire. The horror, likely because she'd never killed before, and the desire…probably from her demonic nature beginning to show itself, and the fact that she'd secretly harbored a hatred towards humans since she was a child. Soon her gaze shifted from the two halves of the general, to her blade. The sweet tang of blood hung in the air as she lifted it up, watching as the dark liquid dripped steadily off of it.

"Don't accuse me of setting fire to your towns." Was all the young demoness said to the remaining soldiers (who looked as though they were about to vomit, mind you) before streaking out the southern road out of the village.

"What was that?" a gruff voice said suddenly, belonging to a man with spikey black hair and rough facial features. One of his hands went up instinctively, revealing the deadly clawed gloves he wore.

"Sounded like…the firing of a weapon. Perhaps it was Renkotsu, you know how he has all of those contraptions of his." A short figure chuckled, twiddling his fingers anxiously.

"No…he and Jakotsu should be finished by now, you can see the smoke starting to disappear in the sky, Mukotsu. It must have been soldiers or villagers from a neighboring town." A young man replied to Mukotsu, raising his eyebrows with interest. Whoever had fired the weapons, he was sure that it was not his comrade.

"Bankotsu, hey!" the distinct voice of Jakotsu said, as the strangely dressed man waved an arm in greeting to Bankotsu.

"Jakotsu, Renkotsu! What went on back there, we heard gunfire." Bankotsu replied, looking very curious to their answer.

"We're not sure, Big Brother. We heard it as well though, and thought about going back to investigate but it was brief. Whatever the men were shooting at, they must have hit it or it escaped." Renkotsu murmured, dipping his head politely at his leader. It was true, neither he nor Jakotsu could identify what happened in the village after they left.

Bankotsu looked at Renkotsu thoughtfully, believing his story. The tall man had nothing to hide, after all if he were hiding anything, Jakotsu would have likely let him know.

"Ah, I see. It's probably nothing then, maybe they just felt the need to shoot at a bird or a weak demon trying to find a meal in the wreck, nothing to be concerned with…" the young man replied, swinging his halberd over his shoulder. It certainly was a magnificent weapon, even taller then himself. The large blade seemed to glow white in the spots where light touched it, giving it an almost holy atmosphere…if that was at all possible. Any of the halberd's victims could surely testify that the weapon was anything BUT holy.

"Let's continue on then, I'm in no mood to meet some general today…" Bankotsu sneered, earning a few mumbled agrees from his comrades.


	6. Chapter 5: Detected

Neiyuki stopped running as soon as she was in the trees, instantly ducking off the beaten trail and hiding behind one, gasping. Her mind was at war with itself, good versus evil. One part of her was screaming 'How could you do such a thing, imagine yourself in the general's shoes and see how that must have looked! A DEMON standing over a charred village, and holding a skull with not so much as an expression on her face!'

The other half was giving her consciousness a pat on the back telling her what a champ she was. It was not easy, arguing with herself, but she had to agree with the darker side this time. The general didn't have a single right to accuse her simply because she was a demon. In fact, she could say that if another demon accused her of burning the village that she would have done the exact same thing.

She then glanced over at the demonic scythe, the blood of the general nearly black now. She'd need to clean it off…and then figure out how to seal this vicious side of herself inside of it. If she was to find a safe haven down here, she couldn't draw attention to herself by killing. With a heavy sigh, she peeked around the large tree checking for any people that would be wandering. There was no human scent here, just the smell of decay, which was probably from the dead plants on the forest floor. Fainter still was something that was scented like dust and bones. Probably from an animal that died, she thought, hurrying down the side of the road. It would do no harm to find a stream to wash her blade, though the scent of death and smoke still clung in the air like a fog.

"I'll be smelling like this for days…" Neiyuki grumbled to herself, looking at the ground as she walked down the path. Thankfully, most of the smoke from the fire had disappeared, and the wind was blowing to the north so whatever stench did remain, wouldn't be blown towards her.

"Let's continue on then, I'm in no mood to meet some general today…"

Neiyuki stopped abruptly, looking behind her for a moment out of habit. She was sure she heard someone speak, someone who must have either seen her kill the general or be talking about another…perhaps the now dead general's backup? Either way, she couldn't take chances. She broke out into a run, holding her scythe tightly and thankful it was so easy to carry. As she progressed down the road, the bone scent grew stronger, giving her throat a very dry feeling. This odor was new to her, nothing back at home smelled anything like this…Soon she saw a group of men ahead of her, and a rather strange one at that. There were two…humans? They couldn't possibly be human and be that size, it wasn't human-like at all! A group of three ordinary men lead the two larger ones, with a very small man walking behind them. It was the most misfit group of people she'd ever seen in her life.

Suddenly, the shortest normal one, who was wearing white and carrying a huge weapon, raised his hands to stop his men. He glanced side to side, before finally turning around and narrowing his eyes, having spotted Neiyuki.

She didn't know what to do, were they friendly? Were they evil? Something about them just sent chills through her body, so she lowered her head slightly, clear eyes glued to them. Slowly, she began backing up the way she'd came, before turning quickly to the left, sprinting off away from them.

"What the hell was that about…?" Renkotsu asked to nobody in particular.

Bankotsu stared at the spot where the girl had previously been standing. Her eyes were such a clear blue that it was unnatural.

"I think she was a demon." He said finally, brow furrowing. He thought he sensed a demonic aura as well, but it was impossible to be sure.

"What makes you say that? She looked human to me…" Jakotsu piped in suddenly, tilting his head to the side in a curious fashion.

"Well, for one thing did you see the weapon she had? It's not every day that a human has such an intricate looking piece of metal. Not to mention there was something about her eyes that just…didn't seem human." Bankotsu said thoughtfully, suddenly very curious himself about their current situation. What exactly _was_ the girl up too? Was she following them? Trying to assassinate them? Simply pass down the road?

He scratched the last option off of his mental list, since demon or not, if she knew anything about the Band of Seven she wouldn't come _near _them.

"I think I'm going to go find her and…_make her talk_," he sneered, eying Banryu. "If she really is some sort of assassin hired by one of those rich bastards, then it would be better if she was out of the way. She didn't look that intimidating anyway." He finished, turning to his companions.

The rest of the group murmured their agreement before continuing on down the road. It wasn't uncommon for one of the Band of Seven to go off on their own.

"Well, I suppose you didn't run very far if you were an assassin…after all, you'd have to keep an eye on us, right?" Bankotsu murmured to himself before taking off in the direction the demon girl had disappeared.

Neiyuki ran until she couldn't see the road anymore, which surely couldn't have been too far since the trees around here were so dense. As soon as she met the eyes of the human at the head of the group, she knew she wasn't safe. Something about them only backed up her fears that they were in fact, not friendly towards demons. But then again, nobody was.

_I'm just glad I was able to get away without a chase…_ she thought, relieved. The forest atmosphere was short lived, for she soon found herself staring down at knee high grass, before looking out in to a wide expanse of meadow. She put her free hand up to her mouth in surprise. There was a light wind that would run through the grass, creating a strange wave effect. It was like a green sea.

The demoness couldn't control herself; she just had to run through the grass. Dropping the Demon's Judgement, she dashed out into the grass with her arms outstretched. It felt so amazing, the warm breeze in her hair and the grass against her legs. She laughed, feeling so euphoric from the beauty of this world. If only the humans could be as kind and lovely as the land they lived on…

It didn't take long for Bankotsu to catch up with the demon. He saw her running through the field just before he left the cover of the trees. _I've got you now! _He thought triumphantly, holding his halberd with both hand about ready to run at her. He let out a sudden gasp of shock as he tripped over something on the ground, falling face down into the grass.

"What the hell?" he said aloud, turning around angrily. Rarely did he ever trip. His furious gaze soon turned to one of awe as he found himself staring at the demon's weapon. It caught the sunlight for a brief moment, casting a cruel glare as if

to warn him that it was not to be touched. He blinked the harsh light out of his eyes before reaching out to touch the blade, half expecting to be burned by hellfire or turned back into bones, but neither happened. It felt just like any other weapon blade, cool and smooth, except for something that felt like water flowing under the metal. It could only be the demonic energy.

"That's pretty damn powerful…wonder where demon-girl got it…" he muttered, standing up. He couldn't help but stare at the demoness in confusion as she frolicked through the vast field. Why was she so happy?

_Probably because she found her targets to kill…_he thought bitterly, a smug look shadowing his face. She was without a weapon, so surely now was the time to strike.

"I'm sure whoever told you to kill us must have been pretty desperate to hire a _demon._" He said loudly, swinging Banryu back over his shoulder as he started walking towards her.

The demon suddenly stopped, turning to him with wide and fearful eyes. They were still that same eerie blue. It was like staring into a pool that was fifty feet deep and seeing clear to the bottom. He watched with amusement as she reached instinctively to her back for her weapon, before opening her mouth in dismay, probably to say something like 'where has it gone?' or something like that.

"Who are you?" she demanded suddenly, tensing defensively as she took a step back.

Bankotsu snorted and looked at her with a sarcastic expression. "Don't play dumb, demon!" he snarled, pointing his halberd at her. "I'm Bankotsu, leader of the Band of Seven!"

She gazed at him with a genuinely confounded expression, seeming to relax somewhat. She was both extremely forgetful and stupid, or wasn't an assassin after all.

"I can't say I've ever heard of you, or this 'Band of Seven.' I don't hail from these parts, you see…" she mused, staring at him thoughtfully, "but you sir, look like a formidable adversary, and as you can plainly see I'm defenseless…so, if you'd be so kind to spare me my life that would be wonderful."

"Spare you?" he laughed incredulously. "You might not be an assassin as I originally expected, but you're still a demon!" he yelled, jumping at her and swinging his weapon down hard. She missed the impact of the beastly piece of metal merely by a foot or so.


	7. Chapter 6: Encounter

Neiyuki was deeply upset with herself, not scenting this human sooner. There was no mistake that he was one of the seven she'd saw on the road earlier, but why had he chosen to follow her?

Well, that question was answered. He'd thought she was an assassin, and now he was currently trying to obliterate her for having the inescapable 'handicap' of being, well, demonic.

"You've got a lot of nerve, begging for you're life even though you're already damned." He muttered to her, swinging the halberd at her again. She'd never thought of humans as particularily quick, but this one changed her perspective. It took more thought an energy then she would have summized, to dodge his quick strikes.

"And you've got a lot of nerve talking shit about things you know nothing about!" she snarled, feeling much anger towards this boy. His words stung, since she'd often wondered herself if being a demon meant she was doomed to an eternity in hell.

Not waiting for him to strike at her for a third time, she ran to where she was sure her scythe would be waiting. It almost felt like it was calling her, subtly nudging her onward to it. By the time she had it in her grasp, she had to quickly sidestep to avoid another one of Bankotsu's blows.

"Maybe you'll finally fight back now that you have your precious little toy!" he sneered, twirling his halberd above his head, creating a dazzling silver swirl in the air that seemed to…have fuschia sparks flying from it. He then struck the ground with it, sending two or three streaks of lightning through the field, shredding the places she'd previously dashed through to nothing but upturned earth. Neiyuki had to admit that she was afraid, but wouldn't be intimidated by him. He was short…and human.

"You're not the only one who can play pretty!" she hissed back at him, slashing wildly towards him. She couldn't help but grin at the brief expression of shock on his face that was quickly replaced with determination.

"I don't want to fight." She said, as he swung another hit towards her, as she tried to hold back his force with her own weapon.

Bankotsu gave shot her a mocking expression, before the he jumped back away from her.

"Well I do, I live off of destruction. I would have thought that a demon like you would too!" he said, clearly wanting to strike at her again.

Neiyuki held his gaze, holding the Demon's Judgment tightly. She had to figure out how to stop him. Killing a general was never on her priority list, but neither was fighting with a teenage human. Who smelled horrible. And somehow could carry a weapon two times his size.

"Fine, have it your way then." She finished coolly, jumping high up into the air. She swung her scythe above her head in a way similar that he did with his own weapon. Instead of streaks of pink lightning, a freezing wind came up suddenly forming several twisting shapes that resembled serpentine dragons, which proceeded to dive straight for Bankotsu. He managed to dodge the first and second, but was just barely hit by the third. A wound, seeping red under the white clothing on his left arm, appeared shortly after. She was certain it wasn't too severe, since it was only a small thread of the chilling blizzard-like wind that struck him.

The look in Bankotsu's eyes was equally as cold as he looked at his new wound, before back at Neiyuki.

"You…" he stammered angrily, starting towards her before relising he was somewhat off kilter, having his main sword arm slightly disabled.

Neiyuki looked at him with a satisfied expression. Finally this little punk had learned his lesson.

"Yes? What about me?" she inquired, sounding genuine. She matched his furious gaze with a cool and collected one. She had told him she didn't want conflict, and she meant it.

Bankotsu opened his mouth, ready to make a smart-ass remark no doubt, but simply ended up looking at her with a huffy, childlike expression. He was clearly upset by the small mark on his shoulder.

"How did you hit me…those stupid ice snakes were slow anyway…" he muttered, his pride clearly hurt.

"In all honesty, sir, I don't know. I was having a hard time avoiding you myself, if that makes you feel better. And it hurts me to admit it, since you're a _human._" She said, emphasizing the word 'human' as he had done with 'demon'.

She blinked in surprise as a small smile crept over the human's face, though probably because he was devising ways to destroy her, a grin was a grin.

"You know demon, you're alright." He said finally, relaxing a bit but still holding his same gloating expression. "But when I see you again, I'll kick your ass." And with that, he walked off to wherever he'd came from, leaving Neiyuki confused and lost.

_When _he saw her again? The demoness couldn't help but clench her fists with frustration, convincing herself she was the most foolish being on earth for walking on a human road. If she would have just stayed to the forest, none of this would have happened. She wouldn't have killed a man, she wouldn't have attracted the attention of a merciless group of madmen, and she wouldn't be bleeding from her side.

Bleeding!

"How on earth did this happen!" she said aloud, touching the wound on the side of her ribs with much distaste. Damn boy, he must've nicked her with that halberd of his without her knowing it. That would explain why he was so cocky and lenient to leave her like this. He was probably laughing at how he'd fooled her, wherever he was now. The demoness' eyes narrowed into slits as she looked out into the distance with a grimace. She wouldn't last very long, even if the scar wasn't long, it was in an area that would loose blood quickly.

_I must find help…_ she thought, feeling suddenly alone. She knew no-one down here, let alone anybody who would want to give assistance to someone like _her._ Well standing around wouldn't do her any good, the only way she could possibly survive was finding a village to take shelter at. Demons were naturally faster at healing, but if this wound got infected…

Neiyuki shuddered at the thought. Rotaka had once been hit by the antlers of a stag as he tried hunting for the first time, and gang green quickly set in since he assumed it was, in his opinion: 'just a scratch.' Without hesitation, she began moving quickly to the south, hoping another village would come up soon.


End file.
